Colostrum derived stem cells, neural differentiation, compositions and supplements for enhancing mammalian health

Abstract

The invention provides colostrum derived stem cell populations, compositions and supplements having antimicrobial properties for enhancing mammalian health and for treating or preventing microbial contamination or infection. Also provided are methods of producing these populations, compositions and supplements from a female mammal in an inflammatory state. Also provided are colostrum derived stem cell populations and method of inducing differentiation into neural cells in neural progenitor medium including mammalian cell culture medium supplemented with casein depleted fraction of whey derived from colostrum. Also provided are neural progenitor medium, population of in vitro differentiated neural cells and pharmaceutical compositions containing same for use in treating neurological disease or disorder.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of producing a population of stem cells capable of providing an antimicrobial effect, comprising:
 a) obtaining a population of colostrum derived stem cells; and 
 b) culturing the colostrum derived stem cells to provide adherent stem cells; and including one or both of: 
 i) obtaining the population of colostrum derived stem cells from a female mammal in an inflammatory state; and 
 ii) culturing the colostrum derived stem cells with an inflammatory inducing agent; 
 to provide a population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells capable of providing an antimicrobial effect. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells are passaged for two or more passages. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of colostrum derived stem cells in step a) is obtained from a female mammal in an inflammatory state in accordance with step i), and wherein performing step i) provides a greater number of adherent colostrum derived stem cells than are produced in culture without performing step i). 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the population of colostrum derived stem cells in step a) is obtained from colostrum by centrifugation to separate cells from non-cellular portions of the colostrum, wherein the cells are then cultured to obtain the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells, and wherein the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells are isolated. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the population of colostrum derived stems cells is obtained from the female mammal in an induced inflammatory state. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the induced inflammatory state is achieved by administering an inflammatory inducing agent to the female mammal in a gravid state or to the female mammal shortly after giving birth, in advance of collecting colostrum. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the inflammatory inducing agent is a lipopolysaccharide. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells is cultured with the inflammatory inducing agent, and the inflammatory inducing agent is thereafter removed from the culture. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the inflammatory agent is a lipopolysaccharide. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of colostrum derived stem cells is derived from one or more of human, bovine, equine or swine colostrum. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells, or conditioned medium derived from the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells, capable of providing an antimicrobial effect, is isolated and preserved. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein preserving is by cryopreservation. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells capable of providing an antimicrobial effect is formulated with pasteurized colostrum for use as an oral animal supplement. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells capable of providing an antimicrobial effect is formulated for an intravenous animal supplement. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells, or conditioned medium derived from the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells, capable of providing an antimicrobial effect is formulated for treating or preventing microbial contamination or infection. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the population of colostrum derived stem cells are derived from colostrum collected from a mammal within 2-4 days of giving birth, or within 24 hours of giving birth. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the population of adherent colostrum derived stem cells are mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-like cells capable of expressing the markers CD90 and CD 105, but which do not express the markers CD29, CD44, CD73, CD45 and CD34, when assayed with monoclonal antibodies CD90-FITC, CD105-PE, CD29-PE, CD44-PE, CD73-PE, CD45-FITC and CD34-FITC.